The present invention relates to a water inlet device for an automatic washer and more particularly to a water inlet device for directing water against various portions of the baskets sidewall.
Water inlet devices are used to provide a vacuum break in the inlet line and to dispense water from an inlet conduit into the basket of the washing machine onto a clothes load which is located in the bottom or along the sidewall of the basket. Various configurations of water inlets have been proposed for providing an inlet water flow directed toward various portions of the interior of the wash basket including the basket wall, directly upon the clothes or directed toward the agitator.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,968 discloses an inlet device which directs incoming wash fluid toward the central vertical agitator which then causes a re-directed spray onto the clothes. U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,751 discloses an inlet device having two separate outlet openings, one directing spray toward the agitator and a second directing spray toward the basket wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,406 discloses various inlet arrangements for dispensing water throughout a range of locations within the basket.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,622 discloses an inlet device which provides a flow of water against an interior surface of a wash basket and onto a clothes load within the basket through a wide range of inlet water pressures while preventing excessive splashing against the basket wall at high water pressures. The inlet device has a downwardly angled front wall which redirects the inlet water into the wash basket, and the wall has a varying downward angle along its length to provide the automatic pressure compensation.